What is your vision for this region in 2040? What investments do we need to make to ensure this region thrives in the 21st century?
The Metropolitan Council is seeking input from all interested metro residents as we kick off the first round of substantial outreach on Thrive MSP 2040, the Council's next metropolitan development guide.
Thrive MSP 2040 is an opportunity for communities, residents and officials to help shape the Council's work and priorities for the next 10 years, work that will directly impact the next round of comprehensive plan updates. Receiving input early and often will be the key to the plan’s success.
Our 2040 forecast, released in April, suggests we will continue to see growth in the region, while at the same time we will experience a near doubling of our senior population as well as a rapid increase in regional diversity.
These shifts mean changes in the way we use transit, housing, water resources and more broadly, how our communities develop.
Before the Council writes a first draft of Thrive MSP 2040, we are committed to hearing directly from residents, communities and local officials about what our seven-county region needs in order to thrive, now and into 2040.
To hear that feedback, we'll use several methods. Council Members and staff will host public listening sessions and welcome the opportunity to speak at meetings throughout the metro area. We will conduct outreach to typically underrepresented populations through partner organizations and the Corridors of Opportunity collaboration. And, we look forward to input, both in person and in writing, from local elected officials and local government staff.
New and very exciting here at the Council is our ability to conduct outreach and engage via social media. We are already hearing feedback via Twitter and Facebook, as well as through our online discussion platform. By visiting www.thrivemsp.org, residents can get more information on the Thrive initiative, and engage in the dynamic community conversation at any time of the day or night.
We’ll use the input from our first round of outreach to start drafting Thrive MSP 2040. We will continue to engage and seek feedback throughout the drafting and revision process, which will conclude in 2014.
Susan Haigh
July 2012